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Jews Need Not Apply

So we’re back on the subject of racism again. It just seems to be like that annoyingly creepy cousin that no matter how long it’s been since you’ve last seen or spoken to him, he still seems to show up at your front door with a six pack of WKD. And it’s the strawberry flavored type, the worse goddamn flavor. Even though people know how horrible it is, they still insist on showing up on our doorstep with horrible stereotypes, damaging rhetoric and just plain despicable perceptions for other human beings. Come with me and let’s visit our ugly disgusting cousin called racism.

Le Anti-Semitism

The most recent case of vile racism comes courtesy of France. In an ad placed on a large employment website by a graphic design company, it requested ‘if possible’ that Jews not apply. Yeah, that was exactly my reaction too. I mean what year is it? You can’t justify this any way you spin it. Its religious discrimination straight reprehensible and simple, oh speaking of which.

San Francisco – Freedom of Speech?

The American Freedom Defense Initiative is a right wing Islamaphobic headed by one Ms. Pamela Geller. Their activities include blanketing city mass transportation with messages against Muslims and insinuating a relationship between Nazis and the Islamic faith. Fear-mongering racism has never been so easily displayed. The worse thing is that it has been ruled that it is within their legal rights to do so (ironically the money the city makes from the ads goes to its Human Rights Commission). The AFDI’s headquarters are actually located in Houston, Texas because they want to "re-conquer" a community lost to "ethnic and religious diversity". Wow, just wow. Most people and communities strive for ethnic and religious diversity.

Update: Restoring Faith in Humanity…Loading

So in the last few months a quite righteous ‘vandal’ has taken it upon him/herself to ‘deface’ the AFDI’s ads with the comic book hero Ms. Marvel. Why specifically Ms. Marvel? Because she is one of the first Muslim super-heroines, named Kamala Khan. The vandal also covered the text that reads: “Islamic Jew-Hatred: It’s in the Quran” with the much more positive message of “Stamp out racism” “Free speech isn’t a license to spread hate.” and left just part of ad visible that reads: “Stop the Hate”.

Down Under has a Dark Underbelly

Another job advert another racist dig. A large Australian supermarket chain Coles, posted to Gumtree (an ad website) a request for cleaning staff. There were various requirements for the applicants one of which was: No Asian or Indians please. Yeah, politeness and racism don’t exactly go hand and hand Coles. This where I will slightly restore your faith in humanity as the supermarket chain was berated for their ad, on social and mass media outlets. Of course, the ad was revoked after the Facebook shaming. It’s almost like saying: “Oh, we are so sorry you caught us, we’ll take the ad down now.”

Writing these articles are always emotionally taxing, but I feel it necessary to expose and even promote these issues via any platform I have available. It’s absurd that after a World Wars, Civil Wars and atrocities committed because of racial ignorance that people still haven’t wised up to the fact that below the surface, we really aren’t all that different. To embrace one another, means that we will end up being stronger, have more minds thinking of solutions and using the wasted energy to fight for good. Call me a pompous idealist, I can take it, just don’t tolerate racism within your community and workplace.